Latest news with #FutureMovement
LBCI
12-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Beirut's municipal race intensifies: Elections stir debate over power, tradition, and politics
Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Beirut, Lebanon's smallest electoral district by geography, holds substantial political weight, with 515,000 eligible voters. Of these, 66% are Muslim, 33% Christian, and roughly one percent belongs to the Jewish community. The city's municipal council consists of 24 members. Although the municipal electoral law does not mandate sectarian representation, tradition has long dictated an even split between Muslim and Christian council members. This custom was historically safeguarded by the Future Movement, led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose campaign slogan "Zay ma hiye"—Keep it as it is—reinforced the commitment to parity. However, with the Future Movement stepping back from involvement in this year's municipal race, ensuring sectarian balance has become a greater challenge. While various Christian and Muslim political actors publicly affirm their commitment to preserving parity, tensions persist. Some Muslim figures in the capital are tying their support for this balance to a reduction in the authority of Beirut's Orthodox Christian governor, particularly in municipal decision-making. They call for more autonomy for the council to implement its resolutions without gubernatorial interference. As Beirut's election landscape takes shape, it appears likely that one major electoral list will bring together a coalition of Christian and Muslim parties to preserve parity. A second list, backed by Change MPs, will campaign under the banner "Beirut Madinati Coalition 2025." A third, independent list is being formed by Rola Al-Ajouz, a former municipal council member. In addition to the council elections, the role of Beirut's 107 mukhtars—neighborhood notables elected across the city's 12 districts—remains critical. While some are running independently, others are forming regional alliances to increase their chances and often seek political backing. These mukhtars play a key role as electoral mobilizers in the capital. While the Future Movement is not fielding its own candidates for the municipal council, it has reportedly collaborated with the Al-Ahbash group on mukhtar lists. Meanwhile, the Amal Movement and Hezbollah have agreed on their mukhtar candidates in Shiite-majority areas. Competition is unfolding among various coalitions and independents in districts with Christian majorities.
L'Orient-Le Jour
09-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Municipal elections: Races to follow in North Lebanon
A week after municipal elections in Mount Lebanon, voters in the North and Akkar governorates are set to elect their local councils on Sunday, May 11. More than 600,000 registered voters across the districts of Tripoli, Minyeh-Dinnieh, Bsharri, Batroun, Koura, Zgharta and Akkar are called to the most areas, the competition is driven by family ties or strictly local considerations. But politics often seeps in — especially amid rising polarization over Hezbollah and its weapons. The prolonged absence of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his Future Movement has further complicated the picture, leaving many Sunni-majority areas in the North without a clear political center of are some of the main races to watch. Read more Municipal elections in Mount Lebanon: Key takeaways from the day An uncertain outcome in...
L'Orient-Le Jour
08-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Could the demand to disarm Hezbollah trigger another May 7?
The Future Movement is the main group that recalls this date each year, viewing it as a moment of failure against Hezbollah's forces. As for Hezbollah's opponents in Lebanon, May 7 serves as an opportunity to criticize the party, accusing it of once again seeking to control the raises a key question today: Is Lebanon on the brink of another May 7, amid increasing calls to disarm Hezbollah? A look back at the events that occurred 17 years ago is necessary to see how likely history is to repeat itself. In the lead-up to May 7, 2008, there were a series of clashes between Hezbollah and supporters of the Future Movement in several parts of Beirut, to the point where gunfire in neighborhoods, including Ras al-Nabaa and Basta, had become almost routine. Read more Priority is to remove weapons from southern Lebanon, says Joseph...
LBCI
18-04-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Power balance at risk: Could sectarian parity collapse in Beirut's municipal elections?
Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's decision to withdraw the Future Movement from Lebanon's upcoming municipal and mukhtar elections has sparked fears over the delicate sectarian balance in the Beirut municipality. Hariri, who announced Wednesday that his party would not participate, cited his conviction that municipal elections should remain developmental and non-political. However, his decision has intensified anxieties about the preservation of parity between Muslims and Christians in the capital's municipal body. The primary concern stems from demographic realities: Muslim—particularly Sunni—voters significantly outnumber Christian voters in Beirut. Without a unified political list or consensus among major political forces, Christian candidates could lose all 12 council seats allocated to them under the majoritarian voting system. Second, during the leadership of the late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, the Future Movement historically played a key role in maintaining sectarian balance in the capital, leveraging its large Sunni voting base to support Christian candidates. Under Saad Hariri, the party is no longer in the race, and no single Sunni-led political force appears capable of replicating that influence. Currently, Beirut's Sunni vote is fractured across at least three emerging electoral lists. One reportedly brings MP Fouad Makhzoumi, the Lebanese Forces, Al-Ahbash, and the Amal Movement together. Another is being formed by Change MPs Ibrahim Mneimneh, Paula Yacoubian, and Melhem Khalaf, in partnership with Beirut Madinati and other civil society groups. A third list is reportedly being shaped by MP Nabil Badr. Based on the 2022 parliamentary elections, around 138,000 voters participated in Beirut II—predominantly Sunni and Shia—compared to roughly 42,000 in the predominantly Christian Beirut I. These figures underline the imbalance and the potential impact of vote fragmentation, raising fears of the inability to secure a complete 24-seat list equally divided between Christians and Muslims without a broad political consensus. The growing concerns have led to speculation that the elections might be postponed altogether, possibly at the last minute, to avoid the collapse of Beirut's sectarian parity for the first time.
LBCI
14-04-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Parity or power play? Beirut's municipal race heats up amid shifting alliances
Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Last Tuesday, two Lebanese MPs — Edgard Traboulsi and Nicolas Sehnaoui — were told by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at Ain el-Tineh that he was willing to proceed with any law that would guarantee parity in the Beirut municipal council. He even signaled readiness to call a parliamentary session to discuss the matter. However, the two MPs were surprised when Berri stated in a Sunday press interview that amending the municipal elections law was now unlikely due to time constraints. While the reasons behind Berri's change in stance remain unclear, MPs from the Development and Liberation bloc argue that now is not the time for a potentially fruitless constitutional debate that could derail the elections—something firmly opposed by the Hezbollah-Amal Movement alliance. From their perspective, postponing elections would serve Israel's interests by undermining stability in the south. Meanwhile, sources indicate a strong Sunni stance against amending any legal provisions related to the structure of the municipal council without also introducing changes to the powers of the governor, who holds executive authority in Beirut. Amid these tensions, political coordination is intensifying to safeguard parity through a broad alliance involving various parties. Advanced talks have been held between MP Nabil Badr, Al-Ahbash, the Free Patriotic Movement, and the Islamic Group. Badr said contacts are also underway with the Lebanese Forces, and a final response is pending. The outreach extends to Hezbollah and the Amal Movement as well, in hopes of securing parity, which now appears under threat in the absence of mobilization by the Future Movement—once the dominant electoral force in Beirut. Today, Badr says the alliance he is helping to form will uphold parity, especially since the Future Movement's base is expected to rally behind it if the party does not directly contest the elections. Meanwhile, the "Association of Islamic Charitable Projects" claims to now hold the largest Sunni voting bloc in Beirut, totaling 14,000 voters. These dynamics reflect growing uncertainty ahead of the municipal vote. No final lists have been formed yet, and the shape of electoral alliances remains fluid. However, the race is expected to be competitive, with multiple lists likely to emerge—including one backed by MPs Ibrahim Mneimneh and Paula Yacoubian. They argue that invoking 'parity' is merely a smokescreen used by establishment parties to avoid genuine electoral confrontation.
